Krabby Patty Cakes

If your grandchild is a fan of SpongeBob Squarepants, no doubt she's craved Krabby Patty Cakes since the day she heard of the Bikini Bottom delicacy. Now, for the first time, the top-secret recipe has been revealed! Straight from Eugene Krabs' very own kitchen at the Krusty Krab, these cupcake-n-brownie desserts are guaranteed to send any SpongeBob aficionado to the moon and back. Try them at your next party, and send all thank-you notes to the authors of SpongeBob’s Kitchen Mission Cookbook (Wiley, 2011).

Ingredients:

For Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 (8-ounce) package low-fat cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Krabby Patty Cakes:
12 baked yellow cupcakes, paper liners removed
1 batch brownies baked in a 13x9x2-inch baking pan (using one 18.3-ounce package brownie mix)
1 to 1 1/2 cups Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below)
Red, yellow, and green food coloring
Water or light-color corn syrup
Sesame seeds or coarse sugar

Directions:

For Cream Cheese Frosting:
In a medium mixing bowl, beat one 8-ounce package low-fat cream cheese for 30 seconds. Gradually beat in 1 cup sifted powdered sugar. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

For Krabby Patty Cakes:
1. Cut cupcakes in half horizontally; set aside. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut 12 circles from cooled brownies. (Save scraps for another use.)

2. Place a brownie circle on each cupcake bottom. Divide frosting into 3 portions. Using food coloring, tint frostings red, yellow, and green. Place tinted frostings into disposable decorating bags or plastic food storage bags. Snip tip or corner of bags.

3. Pipe a zigzag of green frosting around edge of each brownie circle for lettuce leaf. Pipe a drizzle of red icing for ketchup and a drizzle of yellow icing for mustard on top of each brownie circle. Place cupcake tops on top of frosting. Brush cupcake tops with a little water or corn syrup. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or coarse sugar.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Excerpted from SpongeBob’s Kitchen Mission Cookbook © 2011. Reprinted with permission of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Photos courtesy of Adam Albright and Tobin Bennett.

The Grandparents.com Recipe section includes many more fun desserts, like Muffin-Top Monsters.